This invention generally relates to vehicle weight classification systems. More particularly, this invention relates to a method of classifying weight information in a vehicle weight classification system.
Modern day vehicles include several types of safety restraint devices. Conventional seat belts are provided to secure drivers and passengers in a safe position on their seat. Additionally, airbags have been included in vehicles as an additional safety restraint device to prevent injury during an accident. While airbags have proven useful, they are not without drawbacks. One issue that has been recognized in the industry is that it would be advantageous to customize the deployment of an airbag based upon a seat occupant""s size or weight.
The owner of this application has introduced a weight classification system for determining the size or weight of an individual in a vehicle seat. Information from that weight classification system preferably is used to control the operation of the airbag in the event of an accident.
Those skilled in the art are constantly striving to make improvements to vehicle safety systems. This invention presents a more robust decision strategy for classifying weight information that is then used to control airbag deployment. A system designed according to this invention makes more intelligent decisions regarding weight classification compared to prior techniques.
In general terms, this invention is a method for classifying weight information in a vehicle weight classification system. The preferred method of this invention includes several steps. First, a plurality of classification zones are defined that correspond to vehicle manufacturer weight classifications. A determination is made when the weight information is within one of the zones. Whenever the weight information is within a zone, a value for that zone is increased. The weight information is classified into the classification associated with the zone that has the highest value.
In one example, the value of each zone is determined by monitoring a representation of the weight information within the zone over time. A summation of that representation is used to determine a value for the zone. Additionally, whenever the weight information is not in a zone, the value of that zone preferably is decreased by a predetermined factor.
The various features and advantages of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the currently preferred embodiments. The drawings that accompany the detailed description can be briefly described as follows.